39 states - including libertarian-leaning New Hampshire - ban texting while driving. Florida isn't one of them.

Credit taestell

We asked members of the Public Insight Network what it’s like driving in Florida. Frank de la Rosa from Miami writes that when he’s riding his bike, he’s noticed many drivers who aren’t paying attention:

I'm constantly looking at approaching vehicles and most times the drivers are looking at their cell phones instead of the road. Many times drivers don't even realize that I'm riding a bike right next to them. It's scary.

Richa McCormick is a native Miamian but has driven in other parts of the country. She observes:

California has traffic even more dense that Miami but has nothing like the road rage one sees in South Florida.

That observation may be on the mark. According to the latest US census figures, Florida has a higher traffic fatality rate than the national average. California and New York had averages below the nation’s.

But how much is texting while driving responsible for perils of Florida driving? James Santoli from Miami points out other distractions:

I've seen it all. People blatantly reading the paper, putting on make-up, reaching back to spank their kids etc.

For South Florida, some like a caller Janet from Miami and PIN member Sue Pinsley from Miami think that the diversity of the population may have a role: the mix of tourists and residents from small American towns, Latin American metropolises and places with different traffic rules and norms make driving here so unpredictable.

While most were staunchly in favor of a texting ban, most also admitted that they used the phone while driving (though maybe it was hands-free?). Ina Topper from Tamarac explains:

Frankly, while I'm totally against texting (that's just plain stupid) using a cellphone on occasion cannot be avoided in FLA.

Of course, everyone could text, chat and even browse the Internet to their heart's content - without endangering anyone - if they rode public transit.

On the Florida Roundup: From immigration reform to gay rights, we’ll discuss how the president’s inauguration speech resonated here.

The Dolphins win the first battle in their fight for public funding to renovate Sun Life Stadium, with the Miami-Dade County Commission agreeing to ask the state for an increase in the hotel tax. But Florida state lawmakers might not be receptive.

A South Florida lawmaker filed legislation Friday to repeal the law allowing the use of red light cameras, following a report earlier this week that says intersections where they're used have seen drops in crashes in most places.

Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, seeks to end the use of the cameras, saying they unfairly dole out tickets to people who can't defend themselves, noting that malfunctioning cameras can't be cross-examined.

Several times a week, Miami reminds me of Los Angeles. For better and worse. We're both the land of sunshine, palm trees (theirs are taller) and beautiful beaches (ours are nicer based on ocean temperature and clarity, but we're missing out on the mountains). And both places have much beneath the surface of our beautiful things. Extreme wealth and poverty pressed up against each other, but rarely mixing -- largely because both places are so deeply devoted to the automobile.